Mike Myers (actor)
This article is about the actor. For the baseball player, see Mike Myers (baseball player) ]] Michael Myers (born May 25, 1963 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) is an actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer. Both his parents are from Liverpool, England, and Myers carries a UK passport: he has stated that he considers himself to be British although he is also very vocal about being a proud Canadian. One of Myers' first acting jobs was with Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner in a TV commercial when he was nine years old. Myers graduated from high school in 1982 and was immediately accepted into Toronto's Second City improvisational comedy troupe. He made numerous appearances, including as Wayne Campbell, on Toronto's Citytv in the early 1980s, on the alternative video show "City Limits" hosted by Christopher Ward. In 1985 he was one of the founding members of The Comedy Store Players, an improvisational group based at The Comedy Store in London. Myers became well-known as a member of the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live television program from 1989 to 1995, where he performed characters like Dieter, Linda Richman, and Wayne Campbell from Wayne's World. In 1992, Myers and comedian Dana Carvey took Wayne's World to the silver screen in a full-length motion picture based on the SNL skit. It ended up being one of the most successful movies of the year. In 1997, Myers introduced the world to Austin Powers, with the film Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Myers played the title role, and several other characters in the film. In 1999, he played his first non-comedic role in the film 54 where he played the proprietor of Studio 54, a famous New York discotheque of the 1970s. The film was moderately successful, and Myers' performance was widely praised. In June of 2000, Myers was sued by Universal Pictures for $3.8 million for backing out of a contract to play Dieter, the SNL character, in a feature film. Myers said he refused to honor the $20 million contract because he didn't want to cheat moviegoers with an unacceptable script. Myers countersued, and a settlement was reached after several months where Myers agreed to make another film with Universal. That film would be The Cat in the Hat, released in November 2003 and starring Myers as the title character. Myers is a member of the band Ming Tea with former Bangles guitarist and vocalist Susanna Hoffs, which performed the songs BBC and Daddy Wasn't There for the Austin Powers movies. His brother, Paul Myers, is a musician and writer. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. On September 2, 2005, Myers was paired with rapper Kanye West for a 90-second segment, part of a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina relief on NBC. The segment was originally intended to have the two entertainers comment on the disaterous events. Instead, to Myers' surprise, West deviated from the script. "I hate the way they portray us in the media," stated West. "If you see a black family, it says they're looting, If you see a white family, it says they're looking for food." While allowing that "the Red Cross is doing everything they can," West declared that government authorities are intentionally dragging their feet on aid to the Gulf Coast. He even said that "They've given them permission to go down and shoot us." http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=F3085425-5878-47DA-9512-CBEB151F49E5. West concluded his remarks with, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" before the camera cut away to comedian Chris Tucker. West's comments still reached the US East Coast in the live news-feed, but were edited out when the concert was re-broadcast on the West Coast three hours later. Throughout West's departure from the script Myers tried to remain calm and composed. Footage of West's televised speech on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Selected Filmography *''Saturday Night Live'' (1975) (TV series) (1989–1995) *''Wayne's World'' (1992) *''So I Married an Axe Murderer'' (1993) *''Wayne's World 2'' (1993) *''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) *''54'' (1998) *''Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) *''Shrek'' (2001) *''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002) *''View from the Top'' (2003) *''The Cat in the Hat'' (2003) *''Shrek 2'' (2004) (voice) *''Shrek 3'' (2007) (voice) Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike